plausible

adjective

plau·​si·​ble ˈplȯ-zə-bəl 

1

: superficially fair, reasonable, or valuable but often deceptively so

a plausible pretext

2

: superficially pleasing or persuasive

a swindler …  , then a quack, then a smooth, plausible gentleman

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

3

: appearing worthy of belief

the argument was both powerful and plausible

plausibleness noun

plausibly

ˈplȯ-zə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

You Can Believe This History of Plausible

Put your hands together for plausible, a word with a sonorous history. Today the word usually means "reasonable" or "believable," but its origins lie in the sensory realm, rather than that of the mind. In fact, plausible comes to us from the Latin adjective plausibilis, meaning "worthy of applause," which in turn derives from the verb plaudere, meaning "to applaud or clap." Other plaudere words include applaud, plaudit (the earliest meaning of which was "a round of applause"), and explode (from the Latin explodere, meaning "to drive off the stage by clapping"). Will the evolution of plaudere continue? Quite plausibly, and to that we say "Bravo."

Synonyms

• credible
• probable
• possible
• compelling

Examples of plausible in a Sentence

In our solar system, the biggest moon is Jupiter's Ganymede, which has a mass only 2.5 percent that of Earth—too small to easily hang on to an Earth-like atmosphere. But I realized that there are plausible ways for moons approaching the mass of Earth to form in other planetary systems, potentially around giant planets within their stars' habitable zones, where such moons could have atmospheres similar to our own planet. —René Heller, Scientific American, January 2015

I watch the ospreys who nest on Perch Island high atop their white spruce. Our sense of a plausible summer depends much on their diligent success at nest-building and procreation, and on their chicks fledging in late August. —Richard Ford, Wall Street Journal, 14-15 June 2008

… I'd mastered the quick size-up. Does the person seem agreeable over coffee at the drugstore counter and picking up his mail at the post office, drive a plausible vehicle, and know the weather forecast? —Edward Hoagland, Harper's, June 2007

… string theorists can exhibit plausible models of a unified Universe, but unfortunately they cannot explain why we inhabit a particular one. —Michael Atiyah, Nature, 22-29 Dec. 2005

it's a plausible explanation for the demise of that prehistoric species

Recent Examples on the Web

In a lesser movie, he would be played for laughs as a jacked doofus; here, the character is more nuanced—Eivind seems like a sexy, emotionally plausible alternative to Aksel. —Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

For Beijing, plausible deniability is the essence of grey-zone warfare, effectively projecting capability without confrontation. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025

Your theory is interesting but IMO far too confident in your assertion and provide only correlational evidence/data that the 5 subs rule is leading to more injuries when there are more plausible explanations. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025

This tale of a plausible viral apocalypse makes the case that true horrors can lurk just outside our view — and possibly within us all. —Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin plausibilis worthy of applause, from plausus, past participle of plaudere

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for plausible

• implausible

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Kids Definition

plausible

adjective

plau·​si·​ble ˈplȯ-zə-bəl 

1

: seemingly fair, reasonable, or valuable but often not so

a plausible excuse

2

: appearing worthy of belief

the argument was both plausible and powerful

plausibility

ˌplȯ-zə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun

plausibly

ˈplȯ-zə-blē 

adverb

Etymology

from Latin plausibilis "deserving applause, pleasing," from plausus, past participle of plaudere "to clap" — related to applaud, explode, plaudit see Word History at explode

Word Origin

A plausible explanation is one that sounds as if it could be true. Such an explanation is not usually greeted with applause, but the origin of plausible suggests that it might be. Plausible comes from the Latin word plausibilis, meaning "worthy of applause." The first use of plausible in English was to describe a person or thing that deserved special praise. That use is now obsolete. To call something plausible now is to praise it only slightly, if at all.